No-Churn Sweet Potato Ice Cream
It’s getting pretty cold outside, but no matter how cold it gets I’m always down for a few scoops of ice cream, especially if it’s homemade. There have been quite a few nights, well, way too many nights where John and I were craving ice cream. As much as I wanted to make a batch from scratch, I couldn’t muster up the energy to go through the lengthy process of making a custard base, and then churning it, and then getting it to the perfect temperature, and then…well, you get the idea. I promise, I absolutely love the process of making ice cream, but sometimes a shortcut can be quite handy, and so allow me to introduce you to this incredibly easy, no-fuss recipe for no-churn ice cream.
Why in the world haven’t I made this sooner? I’ve seen so many recipes over the years singing the praises of a simple ice cream that requires no machine and no eggs! Just the possibility of making something so delicious with little to no effort was music to my ears. The process is super simple, like it seriously only takes about 5-10 minutes to put together. Now this next part might be the hardest, but once everything is folded together you have to wait. I know, I hate waiting too, but hey it’s ice cream.
I was planning on making a batch of classic vanilla ice cream, but I wanted to use some ingredients I had on hand which oddly enough ended up being a ton of pureed sweet potato (thank you Thanksgiving). In addition to the puree I added a helping of walnuts and some marshmallows for good measure. After folding everything together, and letting it freeze over night, I ended up with one of the dreamiest, most season-appropriate ice creams I’ve had in a while. It reminded me of rocky road ice cream, but tastes just like a sweet potato casserole; that’s pretty much a win-win in my book.
If you aren’t a fan of sweet potato go ahead and sub some fresh pumpkin puree, or omit the puree and add some white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. This recipe is super flexible, so go forth and experiment with some tasty winter spices and ingredients. I’m pretty sure I will be making an eggnog version of this in the near future, but for now I have a small tub of sweet potato ice cream I need to get through.
NO-CHURN SWEET POTATO ICE CREAM
*This recipe came together from looking at a ton of other online recipes, many of which had the same ratio of heavy cream to condensed milk.
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1, 14 oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 Cup Sweet Potato Puree
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
2/3 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 Cup Mini Marshmallows
Crushed Graham Crackers, optional garnish
equipment: medium bowl, whisk, standing mixer or another medium bowl, spatula, 1, 9x5'' loaf pan, plastic wrap
METHOD
In a medium bowl whisk the condensed milk, sweet potato puree, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together until smooth.
In the bowl of a standing mixer (or by hand with a whisk) whip heavy cream until medium peaks form. Fold potato mixture into the whipped cream, gently folding with a spatula. Once combined, add chopped walnuts, and marshmallows and fold a few times to incorporate.
Pour mixture either in a 9×5” loaf pan, or some other large container and cover tightly with plastic wrap making sure that 1 layer actually touches the ice cream this will help prevent crystallization. Wrap a second layer around the first and place ice cream in freezer until solid, about 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove ice cream from freezer about 15 minutes before serving, this will help it soften just a bit. Serve as is, or with a light garnish of crushed graham crackers.